The Express scored ten in the 6th on a basket full of singles, three walks and two errors. Profar walked and singled in the inning, while Willie Calhoun and Wil Middlebrooks both singled twice. Profar also homered in the 1st and has six hits and two walks in 12 trips to the plate off the DL.

More often than not, Blackburn has been decent or better, but the "not" outings have mangled his ERA.

Flower Mound native Steven Bruce threw 71 of 99 pitches for strikes in an lengthy effort for high-A. Reliever Jose Valdespina couldn't keep two inherited runners from scoring but worked a clean 9th. Third baseman Ti'Quan Forbes has played third only once this month. Suddenly, he's become a fairly regular shortstop. Meanwhile, Yanio Perez is seeing much more action at third, a position he barely touched in Hickory.

Second-place Down East plays nine more games against division-leading Buies Creek and 13 against everyone else. They probably need to win seven of those nine to have any hope of a comeback. The Astros have had one game cancelled, which works in their favor.

Like his first time out as a Ranger, A.J. Alexy was effective despite numerous walks. The offense erupted for 25 baserunners. Leody Taveras missed the cycle by a homer and has reached safely ten times in the last three days. Anderson Tejeda got that homer, his first since May 7th, a shocking dry spell following last year's 19 dingers. He also drew three walks for the second time this year. Alex Kowalczyk has 12 hits in his last four games.

Yet another tough loss. In the 10th, Chris Singleton reached on a strikeout/passed ball and eventually scored on a hard Ramsey Romano grounder that just eluded pitcher Joe Barlow. A hit-by-pitch and walk contributed to Eugene's other two runs. Spokane fanned 17 of 41 batters faced (41%). Enright homered for the second game in a row and scored the other run after a single.

Jurickson Profar improved to .307/.395/.458 overall. Willie Calhoun threw out one runner at third and another at the plate from left field. At least on the tv replay, both runners appeared to be testing his perceived weakness in the field, but Calhoun foiled them with perfectly located throws.

The second game of the doubleheader was rained out, the second of four lost in absurdly wet Colorado Springs. Contra what I said yesterday, my understanding is that these games will be made up in Round Rock only if they impact the standings. That seems unlikely. The Express are already on the verge of elimination by the Dodger-esque Memphis Redbirds (78-40), while the Sky Sox lead their division by 7.5 games.

New San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg reiterated the lack of movement on a new home for the soon-to-be AAA San Antonio Missions, and, for his part, exclaimed "we are a big league city" that doesn't need to invest in minor league sports. San Antonio is one of about 140 cities vying for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, and a proposed development deal for a new downtown stadium collapsed during last year's budget process because of funding and other issues. Bexar County might have its own ideas, and who knows, perhaps some suburbs or an adjoining county could get involved. That said, a downtown baseball stadium looks to be completely off the table, and the long-term future of baseball in San Antonio is hazy. The Missions-owning Elmore Group, never the most talkative bunch, hasn't commented on Nirenberg's statement to my knowledge. The Rangers are the most likely partner for the Missions after their affiliation with Round Rock expires in September 2018.

Collin Wiles is back the better form of April and May. He and his bullpen pals didn't allow a hit after the 3rd. In roughly the same number of innings, Wiles' strikeouts have increased from 72 in 2015 to 80 last year to 98 right now.

San Antonio won the division's first half and leads the second by five games, so the other postseason team from the South Division will probably come down to second-best overall record. Frisco (51-66) trails both Corpus Christi (56-60) and Midland (56-61) in that regard.

Hernandez carried a no-hitter into the 6th before giving up two runs after a leadoff infield single. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Roman Collins hit a sac fly that also advanced the trail runner. In attempting to appeal that the runner left early, Hernandez overthrew second, allowing another run to score. I don't know if I've come across that before.

Christian Torres matched Jonathan Hernandez's six one-hit innings and absent the walks. He Jairo Beras and Sal Mendez combined on a three-hit shutout of the Tebow-less Fireflies.

Hickory (27-20) is percentage points behind Hagerstown (26-19), which has played two fewer games because of rain. Those won't be rescheduled. So, flaky as it sounds, Hickory needs to win two more games than Hagerstown to take the division. I won't bore you with the math. As to whether the league would allow the division to be decided under such circumstances, well, it already has; in the first half, Kannapolis (39-29, .574) inched by Lakewood (40-30, .571) with the benefit of two cancellations.

Another frustrating loss, as the Indians managed one hit with runners in scoring position, committed a late error than contributed to the final margin, and couldn't capitalize on a two-on, none-out start to the 9th. Tai Tiedemann avoided the walks that have occasionally troubled him, and Miguel Aparicio and Chad Smith extended their recent on-base excellence.

The Rangers were limited to five hits, all singles save Lohr's blast. Bubba Thompson (.250/.316/.423) is 0-8 with a walk and six strikeouts in his last two games.

Five Years Ago Yesterday Rookie Nomar Mazara (.250/.389/.444) hit his fifth homer and drew his 31st walk in 40 games. For the second night in a row, Joey Gallo was 0-2 with three walks. Hickory's Andrew Faulkner fanned seven in 5.2 scoreless innings.

Your newest Texas Rangers is RHP Ricardo Rodriguez. Who? Honestly, I don't know much about him myself. I've seen him live at least once, as he pitched the final inning of Matt Harrison's rehab start in Round Rock on June 19, 2015. But, to be honest, I've no memory of him, as it was fully occupied by the scuffle between Harrison and Iowa's Matt Szczur. The 24-year-old Venezuelan has been around since December 2010, but aside from two AAA appearances, he'd never pitched above low-A until this year and was shelved all of 2016 by Tommy John surgery.

Always possessed of good control, Rodriguez has been a revelation this season, once retiring 45 consecutive batters (20 by strikeout) over the course of ten appearances in high-A Down East. In June I called him a name emerging from the system's depth. Texas promoted him to Frisco July 1, and he hasn't suffered a bit, posting a 1.20 ERA with 17 strikeouts and a lone walk in 15 innings. Through others, I've confirmed this impression from a Baseball America article (which you should check out): "Rodriguez does a good job of hiding the ball behind his body during his delivery and he has a hard, downer curveball and a usable slider. But his biggest asset is his ability to locate his hard, riding 93-96 mph fastball to both sides of the plate."

More drama in the 9th, as pinch-hitter Tyler Ratliff doubled home Nick Kaye (who singled to start the inning) with two out after an intentional walk to Chad Smith.

Alex Speas pitched well in relief again, and per a game report, he's more comfortable in that role right now. I doubt the Rangers have foregone the idea of Speas (last year's 2nd-round pick) in the rotation in the long term, but he'll be a pen arm for the rest of 2017. Reporter Whitney Ogden tweeted that manager Matt Hagen wanted to cut down on the free bases, but that was before Demarcus Evans arrived in Spokane. He's got some promise, but walks are simply part of the package for now.

The Indians, which early on were reminding me of the woeful 28-48 squad of 2012, have improved to 25-25 overall.

Ho hum, another two scoreless innings from Hans Crouse, who whiffed a career-low one batter.

Texas sent OF Kobie Taylor and IF Yonny Hernandez to Surprise from Spokane. Hernandez was hitting well but had to contend with Chris Seise, Cristian Inoa and Kole Enright for middle-infield at-bats. Taylor, who didn't play last summer, was off to a slower start and should also get more action in rookie league.

Five Years Ago Yesterday A slow day. Myrtle Beach 2B Odubel Herrera (.279/.330/.368) doubled, walked, was hit by a pitch and stole his 22nd base.

Once a year, in August, we announce an “honor system” program, for you to respond to, or not respond to, as you wish. I’ll share your contributions with folks who put significant time and talent and energy into the Newberg Report — including Scott, as well as Norma & George & Ryan Wolfson, Don Titus, Ed Coffin, Devin Pike, and Marty Yawnick — to help improve the product, some of whom do so every day. Without their efforts, the newsletter and website and book and our events wouldn’t be what they are today, and probably wouldn’t even exist. What we ask for is modest, I think: a contribution of $15 to $25, or whatever you feel is appropriate, if you think it’s worthwhile. Don’t feel compelled to participate. Take part in this only if you want to.The easiest way to do this is to go to www.newbergreport.com and click the “Donate” button near the top right. Or go to www.PayPal.com and make your contribution by sending payment to the GJSneaker@sbcglobal.net account. Or you can send a check or money order to: Jamey Newberg Vincent Serafino Geary Waddell Jenevein, P.C. 1601 Elm Street Suite 4100 Dallas, TX 75201 With your positive response to this “honor system” program, we’ve never had to seriously think about heading down a subscription-based path. That said, I want to reiterate that I never hold it against anyone who chooses not to participate. This is totally voluntary. Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued support of the Newberg Report.

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Not one to be upstaged, Ronald Guzman is batting .467/.500/.533 with Calhoun in the lineup. Here's Guzman's 2017 compared to his best in any of his four previous years of full-season ball: Average: 35 points better OBP: 55 points better Slugging: 24 points better

Also worth noting: Guzman was omitted from the 40-man roster and exposed to the Rule 5 draft after 2015. Some guys take longer, especially when they sign as a 16-year-old.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has added 100 points to last year's slugging percentage and, with last night's 27th double, he's six shy of his total of 33 from 2013-2016. IKF has caught all or most of 29 games and thrown out 29% of would-be stealers.

I recently mentioned not writing about Hickory OF Eric Jenkins for a month because of an extended slump. If not for a mid-July solo homer, the same would apply to Michael De Leon, who's batting .149/.165/.207 over the last 30 days. De Leon has the defensive chops for MLB, but he has to hit a little. My expectation is that De Leon won't be added to the 40 this fall and will safely slide through the Rule 5 draft. He's still just 20 years old. Likewise, 23-year-old Jose Cardona hasn't hit well lately. Splitting his 90 games into two halves, he's batted only .192/.237/.279 in the most recent 45. He's not striking out much but is batting only .205 when he puts the balls in play.

Like Tyler Davis, Richelson Pena doesn't warm up the radar gun but throws strikes with confidence and gets results.

The Carolina League named Matt Lipka its player of the month for July (.336/.389/.593, five homers, 12 other extra-base hits). I haven't mentioned him much because he's 25 and signed as a free agent over the winter. That said, he's been very useful to Down East, playing CF and providing offense for a club that doesn't score much.

Weickel, the former supplemental first-rounder, has held opponents to a .209/.257/.343 line as a Crawdad and has faced 93 in a row without a walk. Charles Leblanc appears to have put is defensive troubles behind. Leblanc committed ten errors in a 17-game span, mostly of the throwing variety, but has a clean record during the past two weeks.

Leody Taveras's average and power have declined slightly of late, but his walk rate has improved from 5% in the first half to 11% in the second. He's reached at a better rate in the second half despite a lower batting average.

Cole Ragans showed no ill effects from his previous start, in which he allowed a career-high six runs in 3.1 innings. For the first time this season, the oft-wild Ragans didn't issue a walk. The Bremer-Eubanks tag team was dominant again. Both are pitching once a week after busy seasons at Washington and Clemson, respectively.

Miguel Aparicio wants me to type his name every day, and I'm fine with that. The 18-year-old has reached in 15 straight with a line of .382/.425/.574.

The game ended when SS Cristian Inoa threw to catcher Matt Whatley, who applied the tag to a sliding Jared Young of Eugene.

Top pick Bubba Thompson continues to play sporadically and produce regularly.

Dylan Bice whiffed a career-high nine, a number you don't see much in rookie ball, where most outings are abbreviated. The 19-year-old righty was last year's 23rd-round pick.

Five Years Ago Yesterday OF Engel Beltre was named Texas League Player of the Month for July, during which he batted .308/.352/.592 with six homers, six triples, four doubles and 12 steals. To my eyes, Beltre peaked as a player (if not as a prospect) in early 2013 in AAA, virtually the only time he showed genuine (as opposed to coach-decreed) patience at the plate. It didn't last. Beltre, still just 27, is in his second year at Campeche of the Mexican League.

Frisco got the better of Alex Winkelman, who nearly no-hit the Riders last time they met. Ross stretched out to seven innings, unusually high for a rehab start, but he only needed 96 pitches. CF Jose Cardona (1-4) knocked a double for Frisco's only extra-base hit.

Down East's last 19 went down in order, but the Woodies turned six early hits into three runs. The trio of Springs, Tyler Feguson (0.1 IP) and Adam Choplick (1.1 IP) kept Lynchburg off the board. Down a run, the Hillcats failed to convert RISP situations in each of the last three innings. Choplick has a 1.93 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings after the All-Star break, roughly concurrent with his usage as primary closer.

In his Texas debut, A.J. Alexy was a little wild but ultimately effective. I'll probably be typing some variant on that for a while. In low-A Great Falls, he posted a 3.67 ERA despite walking or hitting a lofty 15% of his opponents.

In the nightcap, Jenkins posted his first multi-hit game in nearly a month; between the two, he batted .172/.194/.250 in 18 games. Texas's 2nd-round pick from 2015 has had a trying season. With only 47 games played, Cordero's 11 homers (eight with Spokane) rank sixth in the system.

In a game reminiscent of March intersquads, Spokane committed five errors in a messy loss. Up 6-0 early, the Indians gave it all back in the 3rd on a lone hit, four walks, two errors and a hit batsman.

The Topes scored the only run in the 10th, when catcher Brett Hayes couldn't glove a relay from Doug Bernier (via Jared Hoying) that might (but might not) have nabbed Tom Murphy. Earlier, Will Middlebrooks was tagged out at the plate on a great throw by RF Jordan Patterson, and Bernier was stranded after a leadoff double. Willie Calhoun showed good patience and plate control but was hitless. He handled his few chances capably. Round Rock whiffed 15 and caught two on the bases, so balls in play were infrequent.

Tayler Scott: fastball 94-96, sinker 90-91, slider and change 86-89. Acquired for Jeremy Jeffress, the 25-year-old righty showed a decent assortment of stuff along with occasionally iffy location. All three balls in play were hit firmly.

Last year, Payano whiffed 11 in a nine-inning one-hit shutout, but I'd make the case last night was just as impressive, as it came against a capable AA offense as opposed to weak-hitting low-A Greensboro.

Forbes committed three errors at shortstop, a position to which he's only recently become reacquainted. 26-year-old Arturo Lara, like Yanio Perez a recent Cuban acquisition, has played the most games there but is hitting .197/.230/.272.

Texas traded IF Brallan Perez to Baltimore for international signing bonus money. Perez was a handy player with some contact skills, but he wasn't a prospect. More than anything, this emphasizes Baltimore's indifference to the international market, and it's nice Texas was able to take advantage.

Low-A: wet

A.J. Alexy just has a to wait another day, but Hickory's Friday night gate receipts are lost forever.

Spokane allowed seven in a ghastly 4th that included four walks, two wild pitches, a balk, and an inning-opening error that technically made all of Tiedemann's runs unearned. Curtis Terry (.246/.289/.455) singlehandedly kept his side competitive with two homers and four driven in. Arguably, he, Andretty Cordero and Tyreque Reed all belong in Hickory next April, but since you can't have three first basemen in the lineup, Texas is going to have to get creative. More than the other two, Terry is bound to first base.

Watch Willie Calhoun go the other way for his first homer in an Express uniform. He has plenty of hits to all fields, but only two of his 24 homers this season have landed left of center. Drafted in in 2015, Calhoun doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster until after 2018. He's going to beat that deadline by a fair margin.

Jason Wood won his 500th game as a minor league manager. 2017 is his ninth in the Texas organization and seventh as manager.

After a seemingly ordinary flyout to right to begin the 7th, RF Scott Heineman and SP Collin Wiles were ejected, perhaps due to some residual anger at an umpiring crew with which Frisco has become overly familiar. Such is life in an eight-team league.

Corpus Christi is 17-8 against Frisco and 36-49 versus everyone else.

Yohandez Mendez was pulled early from his previous start with neck stiffness, and he was DL'ed yesterday.

Josh Morgan broke a stretch of 12 games in which he reached only once or not at all. He's hitting .231/.292/.298 since missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury. Jonathan Hernandez was effective if walk-prone over his six innings. He's tied last year's 85 strikeouts in 27 fewer innings.

Righty Kyle Cody is on the DL now but is expected back soon. In fact, he's listed as Down East's starter next Tuesday. After two months of middling results, Cody has dominated lately, holding opponents to a .142/.215/.169 line and 36% strikeout rate in his last seven starts.

Mike Matuella offered more control than command, throwing 56 of 77 pitches for strikes but allowing four extra-base hits including two dingers. Still, he's healthy and has been stretched out to 20 or more batters faced in his last two starts. I'll worry more about results next year.

Speaking of better control, Jake Lemoine walked or hit 14% of opposing batters in the first half of the season. In the second half, he's at a microscopic 4%.

Brendon Davis made his Texas debut at third base, going 0-4. Hickory didn't put a man on base until the 6th. A.J. Alexy will start tonight.

Spokane didn't have a hit until the 5th and would collect only one more, Miguel Aparicio's two-run homer in the 6th. Aparicio, six months younger than Leody Taveras, didn't hit well in an early assignment to Hickory but has come on of late in Spokane. Despite the demotion, he's still the second-youngest member of his current team, behind only Yonny Hernandez.

Tyree Thompson fanned a career-high five. Per the report from the local paper, Alex Speas will pitch in relief the rest the season. He'd been knocked around in seven starts: 10.89 ERA five homers and 17 walks in 19 innings. Speas was drafted a round after Cole Ragans in last year's draft, harder throwing but much less refined.

Cole Wiper inched up to two innings in his third appearance of the season. 19-year-old Juan Ventura is a relative newcomer to the league, having batted .264/.336/.355 last year in the Dominican Republic.

Five Years Ago Yesterday Not for the first time not the last, my 2012 rookie league report verbatim: "Joey Gallo (.308/.442/.775) hit his 15th homer, one behind Wlad Balentien's league record. Lewis Brinson (.303/.347/.529) singled and doubled, and Nick Williams (.347/.413/.476) was 3-5. Hard-throwing Keone Kela (12th round, 2012) struck out the side in the 9th but allowed two unearned runs on a walk, Gallo error and single. Gallo has 11 errors on the season. Ryne Slack (5.75 ERA) pitched three scoreless innings. Starter Collin Wiles (6.41 ERA) allowed three earned runs in three innings on four hits, a walk and no strikeouts."

Tyler Davis retired 18 of his last 19 batters and picked off the one runner who reached. I'm going to be a spoilsport and say he can't maintain a .221 opposing average while striking out 14% of his opponents. Nevertheless, he's actually whiffing more in AA than at the lower levels and cut his walk rate down to a minuscule level. His ability to limit damage has never been better.

Ryne Slack's control has always leaned towards the fringy side and has really troubled him lately. He walked four and missed on 21 of 36 pitches in a two-run 11th.

Cuban export Luis La O was a perfect 5-5, drawing a comparison to David Wright from manager Howard Johnson. No, really, he said that. At 25, La O is older than Andy Ibanez, who arrived the year before. He's split his time between second and third.

Pena left after a messy but not excessive 26 pitches in the 1st.

Jeff Springs, who leads the organization in strikeouts with 118, is a reliever for now. Your typical conversion project is a power arm, but Springs deals a low-90s heater with a sinker, slider, curve and change. He's improved his control over his three seasons, but his command has left him prone to hard hits, including 13 homers in just 95 innings. So far in relief he's been nearly untouchable: two hits and eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings.

Hickory fell back into a tie with Hagerstown. Hickory's schedule appears favorable, with no more travel to distant Lakewood and only one onerous bus ride remaining (home from southern Maryland after a 7pm game).

I've seen no roster move, but with Hickory home today, I'm hoping newcomers A.J. Alexy and Brendon Davis will be officially assigned. Friday's starting pitcher has been "TBA" for several days.

Correction: Reiver Sanmartin struck out five on Tuesday, not fifty.

Short-A: off

Texas promoted 1st-round shortstop Chris Seise to Spokane. In Arizona, Seise batted .336/.396/.509 with three homers and eight other extra-base hits in 129 trips to the plate, third-most in the league. No word on any concurrent moves that might alleviate a crowded middle infield. Christian Inoa has been the primary shortstop, Kole Enright the dominant 2B, and Yonny Hernandez spotting both.

Two errors and his own wildness knocked normally effective Jean Casanova out in the 1st.

You may remember Xavier Paul as an occasionally busy fourth outfielder for the Pirates, Reds and other NL clubs several years ago. You may not. Now, three years out of affiliated ball, he's a 32-year-old rookie-ball pitcher.

Five Years Ago Yesterday Spokane's CJ Edwards whiffed six and allowed a run in five innings.

Willie Calhoun was hitless in his Rangers debut and, as far as I know, handled everything hit to him in left field adequately. Yesterday was only his 13th game in the outfield. Tayler Scott also debuted for the Rangers and in AAA. I hope to see them in person on Friday.

Former Ranger Wilmer Font set the Oklahoma City record for strikeouts in a season with 154. Matt Perisho, another former Ranger, held the previous record with 150. Font could make another six starts.

Wes Benjamin peaked early, whiffing his first five opponents and retiring nine of ten. Carolina made it interesting after an early 5-0 deficit but wouldn't get the tying run past first. Forbes hit his tenth homer of the season, easily his most, and made his fourth appearance at shortstop.

Hickory wrested first place away from Hagerstown with a resounding win. I still don't know much about Reiver Sanmartin, but it's looking like I should. He's left-handed, 21, great control, not much velocity by today's standards. Andretty Cordero and Yohel Pozo appear to have needed only a few days to adapt to low-A pitching.

Short-A: Northwest League 5, Pioneer League 4

3B/LF Tyler Ratliff: 1-1, walk

Ratliff trotted home with the go-ahead run in the 5th, during which poor Moises Nova of Billings walked four straight on 17 pitches. As expected, Cole Ragans did not appear.

The four batters listed were the top four in the order. When your top four crank out 13 hits, you're probably going to win. The Rangers are averaging exactly seven runs per game versus a league average of 5.9. Hans Crouse offered yet another solid two innings and is holding opponents to a line of .158/.273/.263.

I don't want to oversell this squad, but despite their ordinary 15-13 record these guys remind me a little of the 2012 edition I've been revisiting liberally in my Five Years Ago segments. They're fun.

2B/LF/DH WIllie Calhoun -- The 22-year-old immediately becomes Texas's best hitting prospect and #2 overall behind OF Leody Taveras. He's 5'8" with boots on. Per Baseball Reference, only three players that height have hit 20 homers since 1980: Ray Durham, Marcus Giles and Kirby Puckett. (Shorter still: Jimmy Rollins and Jose Altuve.) Calhoun has as good a chance as anyone to join that list. He has the fifth-most homers in minor league ball during the past two years:

Calhoun is no mere hacker. He's hitting .298 this season, .283 for his career, and in 2017 he has more extra-base hits (52) than strikeouts (49). He could become a middle-of-the-order fixture.

Although technically a second baseman, his future lies elsewhere. Indeed, Baseball America describes him as "virtually unplayable" there, and the Dodgers had been spotting him in left field during the past five weeks. Truth be told, he's going to be below average anywhere, and if he maintains a lengthy MLB career, much of it will probably occur as a DH. Shin-Soo Choo, who's spent half this season at DH and seems destined for a higher proportion, is signed through 2020. Unless he's traded, either Choo or Calhoun will be in the field (along with Nomar Mazara).

Fangraphs' Eric Longenhagen rates Calhoun the second-best prospect traded in July, behind only OF Eloy Jimenez (to the White Sox for Jose Quintana) with a grade of 55 on the 20-80 scale. Again, if he reaches his potential, he'll become a valuable player even with no defensive contribution.

RHP A.J. Alexy -- Adam John Alexy, 19, wasn't selected until the 11th round last summer but received third-round money to forego college. MLB.com rates him Texas's #17 prospect, and Longenhagen ranked him the 18th-best prospect among July's trades. The Dodgers assigned him to low-A in April and he's done them proud, posting peripherals much better than his 3.67 ERA: a .180/.301/.251 opposing line and a 28% strikeout rate. Statistically, the only downside has been control, with a combined walk and HBP rate of 15%. As far as stuff, Alexy throws in 89-92 now but has a body (6'4", 195 with room for more) suggesting a future uptick. His most promising pitch is a curve than has missed plenty of bats despite being a little loopy. The change lags behind. The ceiling for him appears to be as a durable fourth starter.

MiLB.com has two examples of Alexy in action. Brendon Davis -- Like Alexy, Davis was enticed by more money, getting a second-round payout as a fifth-round pick in 2015. He ranks 29th among Texas prospects per MLB.com. Reviews on him vary widely. The 6'4", 185-pound 20-year-old comes across as athletic yet slow, with a long-limbed body that may (or may not) stick at short and may (or may not) deliver the implied power. This season, he's split time almost equally between second, short and third. Davis was hitting .241/.350/.403 with eight homers in 94 games between low-A Great Lakes and high-A Rancho Cucamonga. His ability to take takes has improved but he's sporting a 30% strikeout rate. He'll join Hickory.

El Paso tied the game in the 9th and took the lead in the 11th. With two out in the bottom half, Drew Stubbs singled, Ronald Guzman walked, and Will Middlebrooks doubled them both home.

Opponents are hitting .211/.294/.316 with a 34% strikeout rate against Sam Wolff in AAA. Heartening.

Still a Ranger: Jurickson Profar. Per twotweets by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Profar expressed unhappiness at not being traded and was withheld from the lineup two days running. An hour before game-time yesterday, Round Rock announced Profar had been DL'ed. He can be reactivated in as few as seven days.

Profar will be out of options in 2018. As of now, he's a few days shy of four years service time by my count.

Scott Heineman's 2nd-inning single broke an 0-for-28 streak. He only struck out eight times in that span, so he at least has putting the ball in play. Just three weeks ago, Heineman had reached safely in 25 consecutive games. Such is baseball. Joe Filomeno and Shane McCain were formidable in relief of rehabbing Tyson Ross.

Five combined on a four-hit shutout. Tyreque Reed is third in the league in average, OBP and slugging. He's played a little outfield lately.

Five Years Ago Yesterday As I filled my tank in a gas station in Katy, I learned that Texas had traded 3B Kyle Hendricks and RHP Kyle Hendricks for Ryan Dempster. At the time, Hendricks had improved his status but was still generally seen as a control freak with middling stuff and a 5/LR future. Baseball America didn't bother placing him in Chicago's top 30 entering 2013. Villanueva was the bigger get, a strong defender who stood a decent chance of becoming an average MLB third baseman. His hitting development stalled, and then he was beset by injuries, missing all of 2016. He's now a Padre, batting .299/.371/.546, albeit in the El Paso bandbox.

Not to knock the Teixeira trade, from which Texas is still reaping the benefits, but the Rangers are still looking for his replacement. In the ten years since, Texas has used 43 first baseman with a cumulative Wins Above Replacement of 1.9. In essence, the Rangers have had replacement-level production at first base for a decade.

Mitch Moreland leads the pack with 5.2 WAR. Second is Ryan Rua with 0.8. Yes, Rua, who's batted .304/.358/.475 in 54 games, well above his production elsewhere. Other with at least half a win are Mike Napoli (0.7), Michael Young (0.7) and Prince Fielder (0.6). All the others, spanning 2,900 plate appearances, have a cumulative WAR of negative 6.1.

True story: a week or two ago I taught my three-year-old daughter Eric Nadel's "that ball is history" call.When I clapped upon seeing Beltre's 3,000th hit, that's what she said. No truer and better words.

And since I can't leave my daughter at day care overnight, I'll have to offer my thoughts on the trades tomorrow.

Texas did announce that 2B/OF Willie Calhoun would head to Round Rock, while RHP A.J. Alexy will report to low-A Hickory. IF Brendon Davis had been promoted to high-A just a ten days ago but will join Alexy in Hickory. RHP Tayler Scott (yes, it's "Tayler"), the return for Jeremy Jeffress, will make his AAA debut with the Express.

Also, Texas recalled RHP Clayton Blackburn and OF Ryan Rua from Round Rock. Texas acquired Blackburn for IF Frandy de la Rosa in April. He spent a few days with the Giants last year but did not take the mound.Blackburn's Round Rock ERA is an uninviting 4.94, but I've seen him look much better than that on occasion. He's a 5th starter / long reliever type.

Round Rock has the offense to win most nights with decent starting pitching, which has been sorely lacking in 2017. The Express already had A.J. Jimenez and Brett Hayes on the roster, so Brett Nicholas's seemingly permanent ascension to Arlington doesn't create need for another catcher. If Texas continues to employ Willie Calhoun as a second baseman, vet Doug Bernier would appear to suffer the greatest reduction in playing time.

Just over a month ago, I suggested Connor Sadzeck could help the Rangers in August. That's not happening without a dramatic reversal of fortune. In relief, Sadzeck has a 12.81 ERA and peripherals to match: .412/.481/.662 with a modest 14% strikeout rate. Lots of contact, lots of it hard. Pedro Payano hit a batter, per custom, but otherwise offered his best AA start to date.

The Woodies took three of four from the division leader. Scott Williams' last 13 appearances: 16.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 18 SO. Ti'Quan Forbes has started three of the last five games at shortstop, a position he'd barely seen since his 2014 rookie campaign (and not much even then).

Down a run in the 9th with two out and none on, Charles Leblanc walked, Anderson Tejeda tripled him home and scored the go-ahead on a Yohel Pozo single. Pozo also doubled and scored in the 8th.

A quirky day for Kyle Cody, who plowed through 98 pitches in under five innings, his shortest outing since May, but managed to whiff a career-best 11. He's been no worse than pretty good, often outstanding, in seven straight outings (0.82 ERA, .142/.215/.169 opposing line).

Miguel Aparicio hit a grand slam with two out in the 9th. The 18-year-old is hitting .404/.436/.596 during an 11-game hitting streak.

Alex Speas was effective in his first relief appearance of the season. No, this doesn't mean he's a reliever for good. (Or at least I really, really doubt it.) Best buddies Noah Bremer and Alex Eubanks lost streaks of four outings without a run. Bremer gave up a solo shot in 1.1 innings, while Eubanks surrendered his first two runs on the season in the same number of innings.

The offense read Dillon Overton well (5 IP, 11 H, 8 R). Guzman hit two opposite-field singles and would have had a second walk if not for a generous call on a 3-0 pitch. He saw 30 pitches in his five plate appearances. Hoying could have been 4-4 if not for two great plays by 2B Diego Goris. Profar hit a majestic shot off Logan Bawcom.

A.J. Griffin's upper-60s curve was especially effective in his two scoreless innings.

Wiles completed a rough July with one of his best starts of the season. After a 1st-inning sac fly, Wiles didn't allow another runner until the 6th. He's lasted seven innings in six of 20 starts, an impressive proportion in AA and always with fewer than 100 pitches. Garrett and Rodriguez were perfect in relief.

Frisco also scored everything from the get-go: Isiah Kiner-Falefa reached on an error to lead off the game, Andy Ibanez doubled him in, and Luke Tendler singled Ibanez home. Unlike the Missions, Frisco had at least one baserunner in every inning save the 7th but couldn't add to the lead.

Entering the 2nd inning, Flower Mound native Steven Bruce had walked only 12 in 56 pro innings. Then he walked five of his next nine batters. Grant Zawadzki and Jeffrey Springs (working in relief lately) shut down the Astros in hopes of a rally that was not forthcoming. Yanio Perez started at 3B for the first time in high-A. He's spent most of his time in right field.

Just one of those nights for Cole Ragans, who allowed the most hits and runs of his career. He retired his first four in order, after which eight of 11 balls in play went for hits.

Spokane put up crooked numbers in five innings and registered 16 hits. Miguel Aparicio has a ten-game hit streak. Unfortunately, Melvin Novoa pulled up stretching for second in his final at-bat and was replaced.

Rookie: wet Record: 13-13, 3 GB

The first half is over. The Padres have two squads, and the Rangers walloped both early on, after which I suggested the Pads might be overmatched by being split up in this fashion. Well, they both finished with better records than the Rangers (15-12 and 15-13).

Five Years Ago Yesterday I mentioned that nominal Myrtle Beach starter Kyle Hendricks was skipped, and not because of injury. Connor Sadzeck and three Hickory relievers combined on a one-hit shutout.